Page 73 of Arturo's Temptation

Frustrated, I kept my eyes scanning the alliances in the room trying to gauge their reaction. Someone clearly hadn’t expected this move, and I wanted to know who.

“So if you would all join in raising a glass to my daughter, Isabella, the future of the Ricci family. I know she’ll make me proud.” I gazed back towards the stage to see Lorenzo looking down at Bella with pride. “Isabella will continue to run things the same way I always have. All I ask is for you to regard her with the same respect you do me.” Lorenzo finished, holding up his champagne flute as the alliances thankfully followed suit.

“Think they took it well, kid?” Red whispered.

“I know what’ll happen if they don’t,” I winked.

I’d end any fucker that dared disrespect her.

“I knew I liked you,” Gino smiled as he sipped his scotch.

After watching Lorenzo work the room with Bella for what felt like a fucking eternity, they finally stopped at an older, greying geezer and a young lad who looked familiar.

Where the fuck had I seen him before?

He was eyeing Isabella like he could fucking eat her, which made me want to knock his teeth in, gouge his eyes out, and then skin him alive. Almost as though she’d heard the torrent of my angry thoughts, she glanced over.

Wait a minute…

That was that fuckin’ bellend from the football game.

Wanker.

I clenched my fist, which earned me a gentle shove from Red.

“What’s going on, kid?” He asked, hoping to gain my attention.

But when Isabella was in the room, I had eyes for nobody but her.

“Kid?”

“I’m goin’ to do a perimeter sweep,” I managed to spit out, as my thumb twirled my ring. Before I could take a step, Red grabbed my shoulder.

“You look like you want to kill the guy? What gives?”

“He’s that prick from the football game. The one who practically had his hands all over her,” I seethed. If I was trying to be subtle, I was doing an incredibly shit job.

“Yeah, but she’s a big girl. She can handle herself.” At my death glare he raised his hands and tried a calming voice. “Hey. I get it. I do. We all get protective of Bella sometimes, it’s normal when you spend so much time with her. And look, you’re probably right, he probably is a prick, but we have to let her make her own mistakes sometimes.”

Was he insane?

“That’s not a mistake, it’s a fuckin’ train wreck waitin’ to happen,” I scoffed, just as Lorenzo looked at the pair of us.

Oh for fuck’s sake.

Right on cue, Lorenzo waved both of us over to where he and Bella stood.

Brilliant, just brilliant.

“George, Henry, you already know, Red, my head of security, but allow me to introduce my daughter's bodyguard, Arturo.” A flash of recognition passed through the blonde twat as he held out a sweaty palm for me to take. Reluctantly, I shook hishand so as not to arouse suspicion while the older guy, clearly the brat’s father, eyed me curiously—my tattoos in particular. “Arturo, this is George and Henry Duval.”

“We’ve already met actually. At the football game, wasn’t it?” He smirked.

Smart arse fucker.

“Have we?” I tightened my hand around his much smaller one, making him wither slightly. “To be honest, I’d almost forgotten about that. Must not have been that memorable.” I joked, letting go of his hand while he tried his best to laugh the situation off. Beside me, Bella took a sip of her champagne. The telltale shifting from foot to foot told she was dying to kick those Louboutin heels off. Her discomfort was as clear as day to me but she was doing a spectacular job of hiding it.

Good girl.

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